27 Aug First leisure centre in West Northamptonshire to become host to a Chatty Café
Trilogy Active’s Duston Sports Centre is set to become the first leisure centre in West Northants to join The Chatty Cafe Scheme – reducing loneliness to get people chatting!
The ‘Chatter & Natter table’ launches on Friday 30 August from 9am – 1pm, and will be held at this day and time on a weekly basis.
The Chatty Café Scheme is the UK’s leading non-profit organisation tackling loneliness. West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) has 23 face-to-face meet-ups where venues offer ‘Chatter and Natter’ tables, where customers can get together and chat.
Cllr Matt Golby, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Public Health and Regulatory Services at WNC said: “It is fantastic news that the first chatty café in West Northamptonshire is set to launch at Duston Sports Centre. This will provide an opportunity to people across the area to come and meet likeminded people and make new connections, and I’d encourage anyone who is interested in meeting new people to go along to one of the sessions and find out more.”
WNC’s local area partnerships (LAPs) aim to deliver initiatives which reduce social isolation and loneliness. This has created the opportunity for Welcoming Spaces to become part of the national Chatty Café Scheme initiative, where WNC has funded 50 annual memberships. Each venue receives a Welcome Pack with ‘Chatter & Natter’ table signs, posters, leaflets, and window stickers, and registration on the national scheme’s map. There are hundreds of venues around the UK, many Chatter and Natter tables are hosted by Chatty Table Volunteers and are designed to reduce loneliness and/or social isolation.
“Trilogy Active is very proud to be hosting Northamptonshire’s first Leisure Centre Chatty Cafe.” said John Fletcher, Managing Director of Trilogy Active. “We recognise the importance value both physically and emotionally of people getting out, meeting up and socialising with others.”
“The local Duston community is a welcoming and friendly place.” he continued. “That’s why the CoffeeBox at Duston Sports Centre is the perfect place to host this great initiative. We encourage anyone to come along, meet with others and take advantage of this much needed opportunity.”
The Chatty Café is a great way of encouraging people to talk to others. The scheme is the brainchild of Alexandra Hoskyn, who founded it after a miserable day at a supermarket café with her infant son, where she noticed that no one was talking to each other. The aim of the Chatter & Natter tables is to continue to help communities connect and combat loneliness by working closely with venues throughout the country to raise awareness of the scheme and encourage cafes; pubs; garden centres; libraries; Universities, to open their doors and provide spaces for members of the public to sit and chat together.
Who can join in?
Anyone… if you’re on your own, in a couple, with a friend, if you’re a carer why not sit there with who you care for, mums and babies, dads and babies, grandparents and babies, young people, older people and anyone in between! It’s a great way to meet new people in your community.
What do I do?
When you are deciding where to sit, look for the Chatter & Natter table and sit there! Stay for five minutes while you have your drink or longer. It’s not about making life-long friends, just having good old fashioned human interaction!
For more information, please visit our Chatty Café Scheme | West Northamptonshire Council (westnorthants.gov.uk)